Douglas Carswell

Public prosecutors aren't working for the public

Today's announcement by the head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) that the criminal justice system needs a radical rethink is to be welcomed.

His own quango is demonstrably failing local communities across Britain;  7% of cases are abandoned by the CPS "in error".  Despite the number of offences committed by 14-18 year olds rising since the CPS was established, the number of prosecutions brought by the CPS has more than halved.

This should come as no surprise - the CPS is unaccountable.  And all unaccountable institutions - from the House of Commons with its "safe seats syndrome" to the CPS with its quangocracy - end up failing the public. 

How to make the CPS properly accountable?  Here's a proposal for directly accountable local prosecutors.  It'd ensure that those who made the decision to prosecute or not respected local sensibilities.

Today the evidential test and the public interest test allow unaccountable officials at the CPS discretion - without accountability for how they exercise that discretion.  Cases that ought to go to trial never do.  The result is that wrong-doers go free.  Police effort is undermined.

However effective the police are at chasing wrong-doers through the street, we'll never have a criminal justice system on our side unless the public prosecutors are as effective at chasing wrong-doers through the courts. 

Somehow I doubt these are the sort of reforms that the CPS head honcho has in mind.

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